Vengeance
by littlemissprincess721
Summary: Emily is frustrated when minor cases stop her from getting involved in the big case with the rest of the team. However, she becomes involved in a way she would have never imagined. Will she survive this case? Part of the Littlest CSI series.
1. Mindnumbing

Hello, everyone!

I'm back and better than ever!

Here's the new story. Miss Metal -or- Zakia makes an appearance as a fellow kidnapping victim with Emily...UH OH!

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: Miami. I will only claim ownership of Emily and any other OCs. Don't sue me please.

There was no doubt about it; Emily Taylor was tired.

She had just pulled a double shift, and at the very end, just as she was so looking forward to going home and getting some sleep, they had called her for a bank robbery gone badly. The security guard had been murdered.

Everyone else was busy working a serial killing string that was now coupled with a kidnapping.

She had been the only one available to work on cases like bank robberies, and B & E's . Every time she tried to get involved in a big case, something else had come up for her to do, usually something mind-numbing, annoying, and not challenging.

In her double shift she had worked on five cases, including two domestic disturbances, and apprehending a drunken man with a gun.

"On to number 6." She mumbled. At least this time there might be a challenge.

She had no idea how trying the next few days would be.

Four bodies over the past four days. As far as Horatio Caine was concerned, that was four bodies too many. It was always too many.

He sighed, and ran a weary hand through his red hair, frustrated with every twist and turn of this case.

The next twist would catch him completely off guard.

Emily knelt next to the body. It would be a while before Alexx got there. Miami seemed to be dealing with a serial killer, and she was still working autopsies from the priority one case.

"_That I'm not working_," she thought resentfully.

She sighed and examined the wound she thought was the COD.

It was a slash to the neck from ear to ear. The killer had been careful, he had bent the head forward, and slashed downward, away from him, Emily guessed, exposing the jugular and limiting the amount of arterial spray.

Her gut was screaming at her. Something was wrong.

She examined the body more carefully.

She found nothing she hadn't expected. A gunshot graze, but this was a bank robbery. A couple of bruises, but nothing distinctive. Nothing was jumping out on her, but she was still convinced that something was there, underneath the surface of this apparent robbery gone bad. There was something big here. Something she was missing.

Emily stepped back and looked at the body again, trusting her feelings that the answer was there. She noted that the victim's right hand was clenched in a tight fist, while the left was open, palm side up. She hoped rigor hadn't set in yet.

Thankfully it hadn't. She opened his hand and pulled out what appeared to be a bank receipt.

She only had to read the name, Stanton, to make the connection to what had happened earlier in her long shift.

_Emily walked down the hall, after apprehending an alcoholic who had killed a young woman walking down the street. The Gun waving lunatic had nearly killed her too, but she had managed to disarm him without harming anyone._

_She was prepared to join Horatio on the big serial killing case._

_It was time to finally do something._

"…_all seem to be connected to the Stantons'." Ryan was saying to Horatio._

"_How?" Horatio asked._

"_Friend, one time employee, vice president of some division in their company, financial advisor," Ryan said, reading down a list._

"_Wait…the Stantons'?" Emily interrupted. "One of the most wealthy and influential families in Miami, the people who partially fund this lab, are suspects?"_

"_That's just what we are going to find out," said Horatio, somberly._

_Emily's pager suddenly beeped. She looked down and groaned._

"_I've got a domestic disturbance. See you later." She mumbled._

She brought herself back to the present, and smiled grimly. Looks like she was finally going to get her wish. She was finally getting in on the big case She pulled out her phone to call Horatio.

"_Caine"_

"Hey, H," Emily said. "I think I've got…"

Then something sharp pricked the side of her neck. She felt coldness spread from her neck outward. She began to fall and in her last moments of lucidity, she saw a pair of dark eyes, staring at her menacingly.

"Help…" She mumbled.

Then everything went black.

Horatio stood at the scene of the crime, the last place where their kidnapping victim, Amber Daniels, had been seen.

Eric, Ryan, and Calleigh were processing, looking at every speck of dust that might determine the girl's whereabouts.

He looked down at the photograph he had been given.

A pretty girl with black hair and green eyes smiled up at him. He sighed, and flipped open his buzzing phone.

"Caine."

"_Hey, H. I think I've got…"_

A gasp. Silence.

"Emily?"

"_Help…"_

"Emily!"


	2. Amber Daniels

Amber Daniels struggled against the rope bindings tying her to the chair in center of the room. It was dark, dank, and musty. The air smelled of dirty water and God knew what else.

She sighed and stomped one of her heavy combat boots on the ground in frustration.

She had been visiting her aunt and uncle, who were partially supporting her through law school. In exchange she had to visit them all the time and keep up her grades. Not a bad arrangement in her opinion, although every time she came she had to endure her aunt's rants about her immature wardrobe and constant shopping trips for 'something more suitable for a law student.'

Until all this had happened she hadn't had it all that bad.

She had left the house and gone on a walk on the expansive estate, taking her cell phone so she could call her boyfriend, Matt, back in Massachusetts. Just as she was dialing something had pricked her neck and everything had gone black.

She had woken up here less than an hour ago, feeling slightly sick. She had thrown up all over a man with cold, almost black eyes, that had been kneeling in front of her. He had been pissed at that, and had slapped her across the face.

"You're dead once we get what we want, bitch," he had said, before stomping out and slamming the door.

She sighed shaking off the memories. She tried to move again, but the ropes didn't loosen in the slightest. All she did was tip her chair over. She landed hard on her side; her face hit the pavement hard enough to split her cheek.

"Shit!" She mumbled.

She struggled for a moment, before accepting that she was helpless to do anything about her situation herself. She sighed and decided to wait for someone to come.

Presently, she heard pounding footsteps and the sound of the door to this dungeon like basement opening. She couldn't see very well from her vantage point but she heard everything.

She heard a laugh.

"Looks like our captive tipped herself over," said one voice.

She recognized the voice. It was the dark eyed man.

There was the sound of something heavy being dropped to the floor. A knife appeared in front of her face. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched as Black Eyes chuckled.

She closed her eyes. Nothing happened.

She felt the tightness of the ropes disappear. She rolled away from the chair and attempted to struggle to her feet, but a shoe pressed into her back prevented that.

She heard Black Eye's voice.

"Now, I'm gonna leave you free, but if you make one attempt to escape I'll kill you. Got it?"

She swallowed as a new man appeared in front of her. He was lanky and his eyes were an icy blue color. He pressed the barrel of a handgun to her forehead.

She swallowed fearfully.

"I think she got the message. Come on Blake." Black eyes said. Blake slowly removed the gun and followed his 'boss' out the door.

Amber closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the cool ground, struggling to get her breathing under control.

What were those yoga techniques she had learned? She chuckled quietly to herself, wondering how she could think about yoga at a time like this.

She pushed herself to her feet and cracked her neck a couple of times to get the kinks out. She nearly let out a scream when she saw the body on the floor.

Eric looked up from the trace he was collecting when he heard Horatio shouting.

"Emily!"

He saw his boss stare at the phone for a moment then put it back to his ear.

"Emily! Emily!"

Horatio hung up the phone and stormed off. Eric jumped to his feet and ran after his boss.

"H!" He said as he caught up. "What's wrong?"

Horatio's furious stride never slowed. "We've got a new crime scene."

"What?"

"Emily's been kidnapped. Get your kit."

Eric nodded and ran back packed up his kit and got in the Hummer within 30 seconds.

Horatio sped off, his face pale with worry.

Amber carefully approached the body, which was lying face down on the concrete.

"Oh God…"

She knelt and turned over the body, feeling for a pulse with shaking hands. There was one. She let out a sigh of relief and used what little medical knowledge she had to check the girl's vitals. She seemed okay. She sat back and stared at the kid.

The girl couldn't have been more that 16, with red hair and a pretty, slightly freckled face. She stirred and moaned. A pair of green eyes opened slowly and took in the room for a moment before focusing on Amber.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"Amber Daniels," Amber said brightly, sticking out a hand. Emily took it reluctantly and shook it. "We are in a dungeon like basement somewhere in Florida."

The girl's eyes widened and she sat up straight. "Oh crap! H! I've got to…"

Suddenly her face went slightly green and put her hand over her mouth.

"Okay," Amber said soothingly, putting her hand on the kid's back. "Deep breaths through your nose."

Emily complied, and her face quickly lost the greenish tint.

Amber smiled. "Now, I told you my name, so it's your turn."

Emily held out her hand with a smile. "Emily Taylor. I'm with Miami Dade PD."

Amber looked at her skeptically. "You're a kid…Oh wait!"

"What?"

"My Aunt and Uncle talk about you all the time. You're the kid prodigy the lab hired."

"Mr. and Mrs. Stanton." Emily stated.

"Yup."

"Well I found you. Now I just need to know where we are."


	3. Never Be Found

Emily's question was answered almost immediately as the door opened with a bang.

"You, Ms. Daniels and Ms. Taylor, are somewhere where no one will find you."

Emily scoffed. "You have obviously never dealt with Horatio Caine. He…"

Her tirade was stopped by a blow to her face, hard enough to send her down.

Black Eyes smiled. "Thank you Blake." He said, nodding to his henchman.

Emily glared at them from the floor and rubbed her bleeding lip.

"What do you want with us?" Amber asked, the fear evident in her voice. Emily struggled to her feet, sent Amber a warning glance, meeting her eyes for a moment and sending her a silent message not to push it.

"From you, Miss Daniels? I want the money I am owed." He smiled at the confused look on Amber's face.

"What money?"

"You will never need to know that. I am going to keep you alive only as long as I need to. Before you open you mouth and get yourself hurt again Miss Taylor," Black eyes barked, glaring at Emily's protesting stare, "All Horatio Caine will find when he gets here are two very dead young women."

Emily glared at Black Eyes, but kept her mouth firmly shut.

Black Eyes smiled and strolled out. "I'll leave you to contemplate your situation."

Emily waited until the footsteps faded away than began pacing the room, feeling around the walls with her hands.

"What are you doing?" Amber asked.

Emily turned. "I am sure as hell not planning on dying. And try not to show them you're scared. I find the best way to get rid of my fear is to taunt them."

Amber raised an eyebrow. "But that will only end up hurting us."

"Pshh, we're going to die anyway. It might help us learn something about our kidnapper and help stall for time." Emily said as she paced the room, looking up at the ceiling.

"But…" Amber protested.

Emily silenced her with her hand. She smiled and turned back to Amber.

She began signing to Amber.

'Do you sign?' she asked, her fingers moving to communicate the message.

Amber nodded 'yes'.

'I think I just found a way out.' Emily signed.

Horatio burst through the front doors of the Miami-Dade Bank and Trust, whipping off his sunglasses, Eric practically running to keep up with his angry strides.

"Eric, process."

Eric began working in silence, knowing time was precious and it was better not to ask questions.

Horatio looked around. Emily had been here less than two hours ago. He pulled out his cell phone and began dialing.

Within five minutes he had Calleigh and Ryan informed on the situation. He had called the lab to order a rush on all evidence sent from these two crime scenes and had made this case top priority. He had Valera and Natalia going over every bit of evidence from their four previous victims. Alexx was putting a rush on the autopsies.

He turned back to the crime scene and began to help Eric process. He carefully snapped on some rubber gloves and took in the scene.

Emily's crushed cell phone lay near the body. He picked it up carefully. There was some trace on the keypad of the phone, a rather sticky substance. He bagged the phone and continued processing, hoping to find something, anything that would help him bring his littlest CSI home safely.

Amber raised her eyebrows, looking at Emily with a confused expression on her face.

'How?' she signed.

Emily grinned.

'Most basements like this have an emergency way out, in case of hurricanes and stuff like that. It's usually very well concealed, and only the homeowners know where it is.'

'So these guys will know.'

'I don't think they are the homeowners'

Emily smiled and suddenly gave an almighty leap. She jumped high enough to grab a pipe and used the rest of her momentum to swing herself upwards so she was on top of the pipe. Balanced carefully she reached out her hand and pushed.

There was a slight creaking noise, but all of a sudden a beam of late afternoon sunlight came through a crack in the ceiling.

Amber smiled. Then they heard the footsteps. They were pounding, hurried. Emily swung herself down quickly, falling to the ground in a heap. She straightened up just as the door opened.

"What was that noise?" Blake thundered as he burst in the room.

Amber shrugged as Emily crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"Were you two trying to escape?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" Amber spat. "We're kidnapping victims."

Black pulled out his gun and fired at Amber. Emily jumped as Amber fell back with a cry of pain.

"That ought to teach you." Blake growled as he stormed out.

Emily waited until his footsteps faded before rushing over to Amber, who was clutching her arm and whimpering.

"Shhh," Emily soothed, "You're gonna be okay. Let me see that."

Emily carefully lifted Amber's hand away. She gave vent to a sigh of relief when she saw it was just a graze. It would need stitches, but it didn't seem too serious.

"I'm gonna wrap it okay?" She said gently to Amber.

Amber didn't respond. She stared at her hand, which was covered in blood, her face pale.

"I think I'm gonna pass out."

"Oh no you don't!" Emily snapped, slapping her cheek gently.

"What was that for?"

"You've got to stay awake so I can make sure you're okay."

"Okay."

Emily pulled off her button up shirt, leaving her in a white tank top, and tore the shirt up, quickly outfitting Amber with a makeshift bandage.

"That should do it."

Emily stood and searched the wall, where she found the bullet.

"It's a nine mil." She said looking at the deep hole in the wall.

She turned back to Amber.

"You can go to sleep now. I'll wake you up when I get tired."

The injured girl nodded and curled up on her side, shivering.

The basement was chilly, and Emily began to pace to keep warm, knowing they had a way out.

Now all they had to do was plan their escape.


	4. Cold

Yay! Exams are done and it's Christmas break!!! Hope you all enjoy the new chapters of this story!

I am noticing a lack of reviews here...fill my inbox with review alerts! that's what i want for christmas!

Disclaimer: I own anything you haven't seen before...which is basically Emily, Amber, and the criminals. Everything else belongs to CBS. I promise i'm not getting paid for this...so don't sue me.

Emily spent the night pacing and rubbing her arms, trying to keep warm. She could hear the rain outside, which must have been the cause of the sudden drop in temperature. The roof was also leaky and every once in a while a drop would hit her, much to her annoyance.

She quit pacing and woke up Amber.

Amber groaned and blinked her eyes blearily. "What?"

"Just making sure you're okay."

Amber shuddered and sat up slowly. "It's cold."

"It's raining."

"Time?"

"Dunno. No windows down here."

Amber sighed. "Like it matters," she mumbled. She turned back to Emily, a despondent look on her face.

"I'm tired…and cold…"

Emily smirked. "Ditto!"

She sat down and leaned her back against the wall. She raised her eyes to the ceiling.

_Come find us you guys._

At that moment Horatio was walking into the trace lab.

"Mr. Wolfe, tell me we have something."

"We do. The trace on the phone came back as a type of syrup sold in most local grocery stores. Stanton's company brand to be exact. Unfortunately it didn't quite match the market brand syrup. It was very close, but not quite it. As you know, Stanton keeps his own factories, and has a patented process for making syrup that only he uses. I ran further tests and found that this is not quite finished."

"Meaning it was picked up by our kidnapper during processing."

"Yes. As you know, Mr. Stanton owns three factories in Miami. Our kidnapper most likely works there."

Horatio nodded slowly. "Mr. Wolfe, get Eric and go through the employee lists, see if anyone jumps out at you."

"Got it boss."

Ryan watched his boss leave. Horatio looked as stressed as he felt. He raised his eyes to the ceiling.

_Where are you Emy?_


	5. Arguments, Videos, and Signs

Vengeance Chapter 5

Emily was awakened hours later by shouting and banging.

She groaned and blearily looked up at Amber, who was standing perfectly still, her eyes fixed on the door.

Emily pushed herself to her feet and walked over to stand beside her fellow victim.

The door opened. Black Eyes stood there, Blake and two other large men behind him.

"Dr Taylor. We are going to give your little friends at the crime lab a present."

Emily shot a steely glare at the men.

Blake moved forward, a needle in his hand.

"There will be no need for that, Blake," Black eyes admonished. "I believe this will be influence enough."

He crossed the room quickly and grabbed Amber around the neck, pushing his gun to her head.

"If you don't cooperate, I'll shoot her. Got it?"

Emily nodded slowly and walked out with Blake, her hands raised.

Amber collapsed against the wall after she left, breathing slowly and allowing the fear to wash out of her body.

She prayed silently for Emily, for herself, and for the people that were searching for them.

Eric Delko certainly needed that prayer right now. He had just spent four hours going through files with Ryan, and they still weren't done. He was worried about Emily, worried about the time being wasted here, snappy, and in a foul mood.

He was alone at that moment. Ryan had left for a short break, promising he would be back soon.

He did not fail his promise; in fact he came back bearing two cups of Starbucks Coffee. He pushed a cup towards Eric and wearily sank into a chair across from him.

"Anything?" Ryan asked hopefully

"No." Eric said, wearily.

"Damnit."

"Where did you go for so long anyway?"

Ryan raised his hands defensively. "Hey man, I was only gone for 15 minutes."

"15 minutes you could have spent here. We may have found this bastard by now."

"Why can't you just say 'thanks for the coffee'?"

"You want me to thank you for coffee when Emy is missing? Do you even care?" Eric shouted, rising to his feet.

Ryan jumped to his feet, his eyes flashing.

"How could you accuse me of not caring?" He shouted back. "Emily is like my baby sister! I would do anything for her! I..."

"Boys!" A third voice interrupted their argument.

The two angry men found themselves staring at a very angry Calleigh Caine.

"I cannot _believe_ you two are arguing at a time like this!"

They glared at each other.

"Apologize! Both of you!" Calleigh spat.

Eric sighed, his tense shoulders suddenly slumping forward. "Sorry for going off like that."

"No problem," Ryan said. "Sorry for freaking out."

Calleigh nodded. "Get back to work."

They sat down meekly, cowed by Calleigh's temper.

She paused at the door. "If I hear one more peep, I'll kill you both."

They threw themselves into their work, their fear of Calleigh's anger overcoming any smoldering grudge between them and lightening the atmosphere at the same time.

Two more hours had gone by and still they had nothing. The coffee was long gone, and so was the temporary reprieve from total exhaustion.

Horatio suddenly interrupted their work. Their boss looked strained and tired, but there was an emotion on his face that dominated all others and made Eric and Ryan immediately snap to attention.

Fear.

He was holding a package. It had no return address and was addressed to Lieutenant Caine. It must have been safe, because all the mail in the lab was screened for explosives before it was distributed.

Ryan wordlessly snapped on a pair of gloves and took the package from his boss, fearful of its contents.

He silently took out the video and put it in the nearest VCR. His breath caught in his throat as Emily appeared on the screen bound and gagged.

A deep voice startled the CSI's.

"Hello Lieutenant Caine."

A menacing looking man appeared in front of the camera. Emily struggled against her bonds, her voice muffled by the gag.

"This will not take long. I have a very simple request.

I want a private meeting with the Stanton's. I want to be paid what I am owed, which amounts to at least 1.5 million dollars. Also, I want to be allowed to leave without complications.

If this is granted Amber Daniels and Dr. Taylor will be left on the Florida-Georgia border safe and sound.

If you fail to meet my demands…well…" He paused, gesturing to a very large man who punched Emily brutally in the stomach, causing her to cry out in pain.

Horatio's grip on Calleigh's hand tightened and Calleigh gasped. Eric banged his fist on the table and Ryan remained frozen, staring in horror at the screen.

The first man appeared again.

"If my demands are not met within two hours I will kill them. This needle," he continued, holding a long syringe up, "Contains enough morphine for Emily and Amber to die of overdose within a few minutes of injection."

He paused and stepped back and the huge man stepped in again punching Emily in the face and stomach several times. By the end Emily was breathing hard and blood was running down her face.

He came back on screen and smiled.

"Two hours. Stanton's business park. I'll be seeing you."

Then the screen went black.

All was silent for a moment. Suddenly Horatio spoke.

"Rewind the tape."

Ryan gulped and nodded.

"Tell me when to stop, boss."

Horatio waited. "Now."

They watched for a moment.

"Look at her left hand."

The peered in closely.

"She was giving us her location." Horatio turned and walked quickly out of the door, the team following, ready to get their littlest CSI home


	6. Keep Fighting

Yeahhh I'M BACK YA'LL!!

soo sorry about the long abscence...I had some major health issues. However I am feeling much better now and back on my game!!

Disclaimer: You know the drill...I own nothing but Emily :D

Emily was thrown back into the dungeon room viciously. She rolled a couple of times before coming to a stop.

Amber hurried over and turned her over.

"You okay?"

"Thirsty…" Emily moaned.

"Me too, but we don't have water."

"Damnit."

"What did they do?"

"Beat me up a little in front of a camera. You know, being punched is not exactly my cup of tea."

"Oh."

Amber sighed and sat down next to the kid who was lying on her back and staring at the dim light bulb that provided light for the room.

She sat up suddenly.

'I found our address,' she signed, 'on some mail on the kitchen table. I tried to give it to my boss. He should be here within a couple of hours.'

Amber grinned.

Horatio sped through the streets of Miami, making his way to the suburbs.

He careened around a sharp turn, his sirens blaring, giving signal to the urgency of the situation.

He had to find her.

Emily heard the distant sirens. She jumped to her feet.

"Now." She said nodding to Amber.

She knew their captors had heard the sirens too and they only had a limited amount of time to escape from the basement.

She hoisted herself up and pushed the door open all the way, smiling as sunshine spilled into the room. She balanced on the pipe and pulled Amber up, helping her outside.

Just as she was about to pull herself out of the trapdoor something grabbed her foot.

"Run!" She yelled at Amber. Amber looked at her fearfully before sprinting off.

Emily kicked her attacker, Black Eyes, in the face. He stumbled back, cursing. Emily took the opportunity to hoist herself up. She was about halfway out when she felt something sharp jab her leg.

She yelled and lost her balance, falling hard to the dungeon floor. Her head hit the ground hard and she lay there, momentarily dazed. She saw Black Eyes coming at her with a knife and knew that she had to move, but her limbs would not obey her commands.

The sirens were now mingled with shouts of 'Miami-Dade PD!' and 'Freeze'

_Horatio's coming. You just have to fight until Horatio comes,_ she thought.

She suddenly sprang into action. She rolled out of the way just as Black Eyes was bringing the knife down on her. She pushed herself to her feet and dove at the kidnapper, wanting to make him pay, but before she could reach him she heardacrack as something hard hit her in the back. There was another crack as the same thing hit her knees. She crumpled with a cry of pain.


	7. Finally Found

Horatio banged on the front door of the average looking house.

"Miami-Dade PD! Open up!" He yelled.

There was a crash and shouts from inside. Horatio nodded to Eric, who broke down the door with one well aimed kick.

They swept into the house. Horatio, Eric, Ryan, and Calliegh went directly to the source of the shouting.

They ran down the stairs and burst into a dungeon like basement.

"Miami Dade PD!" Horatio yelled.

"Freeze!" Calliegh joined in.

There were 5 men in the basement, all surrounding something on the ground. They had baseball bats and were methodically raising the bats and hitting…Emily.

Horatio recognized his little CSI's small form immediately. Red clouded his vision as rage began to take him over. They would not touch her again. Not if he could help it.

"Drop your weapons!" Ryan and Eric were yelling. "Drop them now!"

The men weren't listening.

More policemen poured into the basement, joining the fray. Then the gunshot's began. Horatio saw Black Eyes lift a gun, prepared to take a shot, but years of training kicked in. He ducked and fired first. Black Eyes fell.

I did not take long after the fall of their leader, for the other men to start fighting back. Horatio's only focus was getting the men away from Emily. He ducked around them, carefully keeping himself small. He reached Emily just as the gunshots stopped.

She was lying face down on the cold concrete floor. Horatio knelt and carefully brushed aside her blood caked hair as he checked for a pulse.

Ryan, Eric and Calliegh holstered their guns and ran up. They saw Horatio's fingers on Emily's neck, his head bent.

"Is she…?" Ryan asked, though he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

"No." Horatio said quietly. "Get the paramedics. She's alive."

Emily had finally given in to oblivion, to that wonderful state of painless bliss, when the blows stopped and she felt a hand touching her neck. Fear surged in her body. If they thought she was alive they would certainly hurt her more. She had to get up. She had to get away.

Horatio was shocked when Emily suddenly gasped and rolled over, and away from him. He moved his hands to her shoulders as she struggled, sucking in air and fighting her hardest to get away.

"Emily." He said softly pulling her closer to him and trying to calm her down. "It's me. It's Horatio."

It was as if she could not hear him. She struggled. He gathered her in his arms, trying to still her. "It's okay." He repeated. "I'm here, Emily. It's me. It's Horatio." He whispered the words in her ear.

Suddenly she froze. Slowly she pushed herself back.

Emily stared at the man holding her. His kind blue eyes and the worried look on his worn features looked just like Horatio. He was Horatio.

Horatio cupped his hand on the back of her head. "I'm here now. It's okay."

She grasped the front of his shirt and buried her head in his chest and began to sob, her entire body heaving and shaking. Horatio held her tightly, whispering soothing words in her ear and gently rocking her back and forth. He had found her. She was okay.

She continued to choke and sob, the emotional trauma that had built up over past few days finally breaking loose.

Suddenly she pulled back from Horatio. "A-Amber. Sh-She went o-o-out in the w-w-woods."

"Okay Emily." Horatio said gently. "We'll find her." He looked up and nodded to Eric and Ryan, who left the room reluctantly.

"Sh-She's b-b-been shot." Emily said. "You h-have to f-f-find h-her."

Horatio looked at Emily, concerned. He felt Calliegh's gentle hand on his shoulder, signaling him that the paramedics were here.

"Sweetheart," He said gently to Emily, "The paramedics are going to take you to the hospital to get checked out. Calliegh is going to go with you. I'll be there as soon as we find Amber okay?"

Emily sniffed and nodded as two paramedics came down and began checking her out. Horatio followed Calliegh to the corner of the room, never taking his gaze from Emily's small, frightened form.

Calliegh touched his arm gently. He finally managed to tear his gaze from Emily to look at his wife.

"She'll be okay." Calliegh said gently, knowing Horatio needed the reassurance.

The corners of Horatio's mouth twitched in a fond smile as he slipped his arm around Calliegh's waist. "She'll be okay." He repeated quietly.


	8. Finding Amber

So as you can see...i'm back again! review please

Disclaimer: Not mine...except emily and amber..everything else belongs to CBS

Ryan had been searching the woods for over an hour and had found nothing that might help him find Amber.

He was beginning to get frustrated.

He paused suddenly as something caught his eye on the ground. A very obvious boot print showed clearly in the mud. It was small enough to be a young woman's foot.

He looked around, instantly more alert.

He was on her trail.

h/c

Amber stumbled through the woods, tears pouring down her cheeks.

She had left Emily behind, screaming and struggling for her life. Emily was probably dead now.

She slowed and slumped against an oak tree, trying to catch her breath as she leaned on it.

Then she heard the footsteps. She looked up and saw a shadow through the trees. They were after her.

She broke into a run. The footsteps quickened behind her.

h/c

Ryan paused. He could just make out a shadow through the trees.

"Miss Daniels!" He yelled as he took off after her. "Amber Daniels!"

h/c

Amber stumbled from the woods, not caring about the ragged sobs that escaped her as they rang clearly through the trees. The branches seemed to grab at her, the roots tripped her, and the trees seemed determined to slow her progress. She knew she had to keep running.

They were after her. She could only keep running and hope to delay her own death.

Her vision was blurred by the tears that left her eyes and streamed freely down her grimy cheeks. She couldn't see too well.

She tripped over a slightly raised tree root and fell to the ground, hearing a sickening crack. She tried to get up, but was hit with a stab of pain in her ankle that was enough to make her cry out.

She slumped to the ground and curled into a ball, sobbing.

She heard the crunch of footsteps coming closer and heavy breathing. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Please don't hurt me." She whispered.

h/c

Ryan had finally managed to catch up to Amber.

The poor girl was curled up in a tight ball, shaking with fear and sobbing.

"Please don't hurt me." She whispered softly.

His eyes widened in shock. He knelt by the suffering woman and gently reached out to touch her arm.

"I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Ryan Wolfe. I'm with the Miami Dade PD."

Amber opened her eyes slowly. Ryan noted how beautiful her eyes were, even when glassy with tears. They roamed upward until they rested on his gentle face.

"You found me." She said roughly.

Ryan squeezed her shoulder gently. "We did."

She reached out and grabbed his arm, squeezing as though to make sure he was real.

Her eyes widened suddenly. "Emily?"

He smiled. "She was conscious when we found her. I think she's going to be okay."

Amber nodded. Ryan helped her sit up carefully. She winced when he touched her right arm.

His brows knit together with worry. "Are you hurt?" He asked gently, looking her straight in the eye.

She nodded. "I was shot."

His face darkened with worry. He reached out and gently undid Emily's makeshift bandage. The arm had started to bleed rather sluggishly. It looked infected. He pulled off his denim jacket his short sleeved t-shirt. He carefully wrapped her arm again. He reached out a hand and gently felt her forehead. It was warm. Her eyes looked glassy. Yes, the arm was definitely infected.

"Anything else?" He asked.

"My left leg. I couldn't keep running." Amber said softly.

Ryan carefully felt down her leg. He reached her ankle and lightly brushed his fingers along it.

Amber sucked in a breath through her teeth and closed her eyes in pain.

Ryan frowned as he inspected the ankle. It was swollen and slightly purple in color.

"It's probably broken, which means you can't walk, and I don't want to wait for any ambulances." He said as he continued to inspect her ankle.

Amber looked at him, confused. "What are we going to do?"

He smiled. "I'm going to carry you."

h/c

Horatio paced back and forth on the edge of the woods near the house. He had sent teams out to find Ryan and Amber Daniels, but so far nothing had turned up. Calliegh had gone to the hospital with Emily, and Eric was processing the scene.

He felt agitated. His lack of activity was making him nervous. He would have gone with Emily, but he knew he could never live with himself if he left before all the victims were brought back safely. He would be in the woods himself, if he was not needed at the primary crime scene to manage the paramedics, firemen, and other personnel that were needed there.

_Damned _protocol, he thought with a frustrated sight. He turned back to the woods, fiddling with his sunglasses nervously. A team of paramedics stood nearby, waiting for his signal.

Suddenly, he saw a shadow moving at the edge of the woods. It soon became clear that that shadow was Ryan Wolfe, carrying what looked like the body of a girl in his arms.

He nodded to the paramedics, who moved quickly. He watched Ryan gently yielded the girl to their care.

He kept his eyes on the paramedics as Ryan approached.

"How is she?" He asked, his throat unusually tight.

Ryan gave him a look of concern before carefully answering. "She's got a gun shot wound in the arm and a broken leg. She's got a fever too, probably from an infection from the gun shot wound."

"Responsive?"

"Yes. She was asking about Emily. How is Emy anyway?"

"Ryan." He said as he slipped on his sunglasses. "We are going to find out."


	9. Hurting

Calliegh walked beside the paramedics as they rushed Emily into Miami General's Trauma unit, holding Emily's hand. Emily wore an angry frown on her face, obviously unhappy to be there. She wasn't making any effort to maintain a grip on Calliegh's hand. A doctor joined them, a look of astonishment crossing his face as he stared at his recently acquired patient.

"Emily?"

"Hey doc." She said wearily. She had fought the paramedic's insistence that she go to the hospital. She had repeatedly told them that she just wanted to go home, but the EMTs were very concerned about internal damage the beating might have caused. They had even strapped her to a backboard as a precautionary measure, which Emily had feircly protested.

Calliegh smiled bleakly at Dr. Martin. He had performed the emergency surgery on Emily's appendix, as well as patching up many cuts, scrapes, and bruises that seemed to happen to the accident prone kid. The last time she had been here it had been to have her stitches out for her appendix.

"What did you do this time?" He asked a look of concern crossing his face as the trauma nurses took over to check Emily's breathing and put on a finger cuff.

Emily sighed. "I got kidnapped and punched around a little. I just want to go home."

"I'm afraid not, Emily." The doctor said seriously. He turned to Calliegh.

"How should I translate punched around a little?" He asked his lips twitching into a slight smile.

"A pretty nasty beating." Calliegh replied, slightly exasperated.

"Doctor Martin, Her breathing sound's on the left side are wet and irregular." The nurse informed him.

Emily glared at the nurse and tried to shrug her away. "Doc, please. I just want to know Amber is okay, and go home and get some sleep. Please let me go?" She asked hopefully, before suddenly bursting into a severe coughing fit.

"Emily, try to just breathe for me okay? Take it easy." The doctor soothed

But Emily was having real trouble. The coughing fit wouldn't stop, instead it got worse. Emily's back arched away from the stiff backboard as her lips turned slightly blue.

"Pulse ox is dropping doctor." The annoying nurse yelled.

For the first time a look of fear crossed Emily's face, which really concerned Calliegh.

The doctor began barking orders. Calliegh distinctly heard the words 'punctured lung', 'trauma', and 'cyanosis'. She looked worriedly at Emily who had succumbed to unconsciousness. The Doctor was looking at Emily's left side, where vivid purple bruises were already beginning to appear.

He turned to Calliegh. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Calliegh nodded, too tired to protest, and walked into the waiting room, settling in to wait.

She did not have to wait long before Horatio showed up. He looked utterly exhausted, his shoulders were hunched and there were dark circles under his eyes. He was followed by Eric and Ryan, the latter of which had leaves in his hair and some blood on his hands.

Horatio settled down on the couch next to her without a word. Calliegh sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, and she clung tightly to him, needing his support. She frowned slightly. She could feel the worry clearly in his tense muscles. Eric and Ryan took seats across from Calliegh and Horatio. Eric hunched over, his foot tapping nervously on the ground and Ryan stared at the blood on his hands, silent and gloomy.

Alexx showed up not to long after. She took one look at the despondent team and bustled off to the front desk.

She came back armed with a comb and some washcloths and a trash bag. She immediately began cleaning Ryan up, carefully combing the leaves out of his hair while he cleaned his hands.

Calliegh smiled wanly. Leave it to Alexx to pull it together for the rest of them.

She moved quickly to Eric, gently resting her hand on his bouncing knee as she knelt in front of him.

"Why don't you go get the rest of us some food?" She requested, knowing he needed something to do. He smiled at her gratefully and walked off quickly.

She turned to Horatio. By now his mask of indifference had slid into place, although Calliegh could read the emotions brewing in his clear blue eyes.

Alexx smiled and knelt in front of Horatio, putting her hand to his forehead and taking a close look at his face.

"You need some sleep." She stated.

Horatio gave her an annoyed and slightly angry look. "I am not leaving her." He practically snarled. Alexx looked slightly taken aback but nodded gently, stood up, and walked towards the nurses station.

She returned quickly and a nurse ushered the four of them into a private waiting room.

"Get settled." Alexx ordered. "I'll see if Eric needs help with that food."


End file.
